Another days pass by and luckily we met nothing pretty dangerous in our way. We’re entering the 13th day and yet apparently Eri hasn’t deemed Erfia is good enough in the dance session. This is the 9th day I’m making the meal while they’re training to dance. Sometimes, I wonder about their training and I can see why Eri hasn’t deemed them good enough. Well, I couldn’t really blame them. Normally it would need months to dance. It is possible they’re still training in the dance session while we reached the Demon’s Realm.

We reached the Grouse Port by evening but we need to take another night. Since the fall of Ul Thadur, yet again, the port only lets the ship sail in the morning and afternoon. I’m starting to think it is a bad idea to help the rebellion overtook the capital. I just hope today we will meet no other hindrance.

“Reis and Eri, both of you get us some inn while I’m shopping with Erfia.”

Reis and Eri obey me and get into the inn. I need to go shopping for food supplies. Spending time in the Grous Port is deemed better than Loos Port. It’s cheaper and has more variety. After we buy the food supplies, we take a stroll in this place. Even in the night, the market is still active and selling.

After we had enough stroll, we decided to get back to the inn.

“Daddy, what kind of shop is this?” Erfia call me while pointing into one store.

The store looks normal at first glance. Some kind of house with a pair of windows on the left and the right of the door. But if you take a better look, it has a darker window, and the inside is not visible from the outside. It seems it’s not darker, it’s being blocked by something.

“Want to take a look?” I offer Erfia.

“Uhuh,” Erfia nods.

We enter the shady shop and look at a shelf of books and a lot of some weird things. It is the book shelf that blocks the window. I could say this shop is not a normal shop by the items. It is a pawn shop. If this place really is a pawn shop, then we might find something nice in this place.

Erfia walked around the shop and me too. I look into any item that could be a diamond in the rough. I see a lot of things starting from dragon scale ring, tiger eye ring, pendulum of karma, and any other things. But all of it requires a big mana to use it so I don’t really have any use of it. Erfia is not fit for it either as the thing she needs right now is a training to increase her body stamina to maximize the taking of mana from the nature.

“What do you need sir?”

A voice rose from the corner of the room. I look into it and see a man in his thirty with a moustache and long beard. But the most notable thing about him is his long fang that stick out of his mouth and long ear.

“We’re just looking around.” I answer him. “Sorry I ask this, but, are you a beast man? Or a demon?”

“Huhuhu,” The man let out a simple and soft laugh. “I see you wonder about it. I’m a beast man, mister. It’s just my type is one of the legendary animal types. Ever heard of yeti?”

“Yeti? Wow? That’s surprising. I never thought I’ll be able to meet the beast man type yeti.” I’m shocked and let out a praise.

“Huhuhu, by the way, my name is Kurua, what’s your name mister?”

“Mada, a pawn shop owner like you should know me by–“

“Mada Jeian of the Vorks. Mada the Black Trader. Of course. Every pawn shop owner knows you.”

“Daddy, Daddy, look what I found.” Erfia comes at me and showed me a book.

The book has a purple cover with a chain and skin motive. For normal people, it’s just a normal motive on the cover but it’s not.

“Huhuhu, you have a keen eye, little girl. What’s your name?”

“Erfia,” Erfia answers him.

“That’s some serious thing you got.” I smile and lower myself to face Erfia. “Erfia, do you want it?”

“Yes, I want it.”

For her to find that book is something I can’t overlook.

“Tell me, how much for it?” I’ll buy the book.

“Do you know what book is that?” Kurua asks me. I don’t know if he’s asking me or just testing me.

“Of course I do. I’m Mada Jeian of the Vorks, the Black Trader.”

“Huhuhu, then give me 300 white gold coins and I’ll let it go.” Kurua opens the price.

“What? I could buy a city with that much money. Five white gold coins.” I start the bargaining process.

“Sir, are you robbing me? Two hundreds and seventy white gold coins.”

“You’re the one trying to rob me. ten white gold coins.”

“Oh, sir, you know well what kind of book is that. How do you expect it to buy it cheap? Two hundreds and fifty white gold coins.”

“Yeah, and you should have known what it means for the book to be found by my daughter. Twenty five white gold coins.”

Both of us fall silent. Nobody wants to lose.

“Daddy, it’s okay if it’s too much. I don’t want it.”

Aw! I forgot that Erfia is here. It’s not about the money anymore actually, the pawn shop owner like him and a trader like me have our own pride. As a pawn shop owner, he needs to sell the goods in his store as expensive as possible. A trader like me, in contrary, needs to buy things as cheap as possible. It’s our pride and our reputation.

“Then, how about a trade?” Kurua proposes a solution for us. “I’ll give you the book for 30 white gold coins and Therion.”

I jump back and take Erfia with me the moment I heard he said it.

The only person knows about Therion with me are Fiona and Lihar. Nobody else knows it. I’ve spread the rumor that Therion has been killed by Mada the Raider.

“Huhuhu, no need to be alarmed. I don’t want to cause any ruckus now.”

“Could it be, you’re Kurua the Goliath?” I ask him.

“Hoo, so you know my name eh? Mada the Black Trader, or should I call you Mada the Raider?”

He knows my true identity, so it’s not a small matter anymore. I put Erfia and take the Burning Sword and Razor Wind.

Kurua the Goliath. The one word hero of beast man capable of killing 100 thousand people in a day other than Cana’an. His face is nearly unknown. Rather than one word hero, he’s more like one more fugitive in that aspect and just like me, he hides in the common name.

“So, I’ve got three options? Pay full, pay cheap with Therion, or fight you right here right now?” I try to point our condition.

“Fight? You killed 100 thousand people in the Ruin of Unuan, you defeated Therion the Unknown and Cana’an the King, and you got three God Items. If, we fight all out, we will destroy Grouse Port in no time. You realize it, don’t you?”

I can’t say I only kill 25 thousand people at the Ruin of Unuan but it’s not any different about the effect to the town.

“Daddy, who is he? What does he want from Eri?” Erfia asks me from behind.

“He’s Kurua the Goliath. Strongest one word hero of the beast man.” I answer Erfia as I put back the Burning Sword and the Razor Wind in the Keeper.

I’m not letting my guard down even if he implies he doesn’t have any intention of fighting me.

“If you really want the money, then I’ll give you your 250 white gold coins. But, I think you simply lure me to the condition of Eri, I mean Therion, right?” I try to make him spill the bean.

“Before I answer it, what’s this Eri thing?” Kura ask me with a narrow right eye.

“That’s what we called her. It’s a pain to call her Therion every time.” I answer him in a flat plain tone.

“Umm, could you take me to her? Maybe I’ll consider the price.”

Still with our pride, eh? It seems he’s a pawn shop owner before the Goliath. I can’t deny it at times like these I feel like I’m a trader before the Raider.

“Just follow us if you want to meet her.” I walk toward the door.

“Um, mister, the book.” Erfia hesitantly gives Kurua the book she held.

“Just hold it for now. It seems he really wants to buy it for you.”

~~~

“We’re back.” I enter the room with Reis and Eri inside of it.

We’re making a reservation for two rooms. Erfia stays with me while Reis with Eri. Our room is at each other and connected by a balcony.

“C’mon, we’re already hungry waiting for you to come.” Reis complains to me from the bed.

“Yeah, we can’t eat anything since you’re holding all the ingredients and all the money.” Eri puts another complaint while leaning on a chair.

They sure relaxed for a pair of slaves.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry.” I admit it. It’s my fault. “By the way, Eri, someone is looking for you.”

“Looking for me? Who?”

I stepped aside and let Kurua walks in. The moment Kurua walks in, the room became silent. Eri can’t say anything about it. She just froze.

“Oh, teacher, thanks God you’re alive.” Kurua falls on his knees and cries.

“Uh, um, please, Kurua, stand up! You’re embarrassing me.” Eri stands and comes closer to Kurua.

Wait a minute, Kurua, her pupil? Let me remember all the Eri’s memory within my head. After some time searching for it, finally I found some clue about Kurua.

“Wait a minute, he’s the little Kurua that always cries? The one gets bullied by the kids?” I ask Eri for a clarification.

“Yes, he is the little Kurua. Well, even if I remember his long fang and ear, I won’t be able to recognize him if he’s not crying like that.”

“Wow, such a big crybaby.” Reis adds the mock.

“What are you doing here? How did you manage to find me? And where have you been all this time?” Eri asks Kurua.

“Well, I've been living in this Grouse Port for a few years now. I work as a pawn store owner.” Kurua explain his occupation. “I feel so sad and desperate few days ago when I heard that you’ve been killed by Mada the Raider. So, I look into information about Mada the Raider to avenge you. When I meet him, Mada Jeian of the Vorks, I took the chance of guessing he’s Mada the Raider. If he’s not reacting to your name, I would never know.”

Ah, so I overreacted. That’s one thing I hate from this body. It seems this body of mine inherits my parent behavior which is easily overreacted to something.

“What happen to your arm and your leg?” Kurua asks as he touches Eri left hand.

“Ah, this. Mada cut my hand when we fought so he gave me an artificial limb to replace it.”

“So, now what?” I hate to do it but I have to break their little reunion. “I can’t afford you take her as I need her to teach Erfia how to dance. So, it seems I’ll buy the book. Mention your price!”

“It’s okay. You can take the book with you with one price.”

“And that is…” I wait for his reply.

“Let me join your party. I want to go where Therion goes.”